The Rewarding Game
by Selto
Summary: In a high school where everything comes at a high price, four girls are being targeted by the top four male elite students at the command of their principal. To complete a game, desperate measures are being taken. Sasuke x Hinata
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters. The story is fictional and written for the entertainment of the readers. This story is not monetized.

**Author's note:** This is just a test-chapter. If my beautiful audience thinks it's worth it, I will continue writing more chapters. If not, I'll end it as a two-shot.

**Warning:** Chapters marked with * hold mature content. People who are not fond of this kind of material or are underage are kindly advised not to read the aforementioned chapters. I will make sure to give additional warnings along the way.

**Pairing:** Sasuke x Hinata

**Genre:** Romance, Comedy, Erotica, School Life

* * *

What was it that they all hated? Whether they were nerds, lazy bums, cheerleaders, school body president, what was it that all high schoolers hated? _End of weekends._ To attend the most prestigious and famed school in Japan was no easy feat, so the Konoha High students hated the end of weekends with a passion. Rules were strict, study hours long, expectations extremely high, school fees even higher. Weekends provided a small reprieve from the exhausting school life, but it hardly sufficed.

Maintaining this immaculate reputation was a challenge for both students and teachers. And yet, over the years, this institution's renown had grown. Many were the reasons to explain this impressive outcome; a proper school protocol, diligent students, dedicated teachers, generous sponsors, and last but not least, four elite students. The best of the best. One might ask _'why only four? Such a small number for a school of such renown'_. But folks needed to bear in mind that this was a school for the most gifted students in the country. Only the best could attend. Why four elite students? Because out of the mass of talented students that graced the halls of this school, four were truly brilliant; four students were counted upon to always bring excellent results, to be flawless in tasks given to them. And they were.

For the new principal, Tsunade Senju, it was of great importance that the school image be kept intact, and so, for the new semester, she had thought of an interesting game to force her ingenious group of elite students to play. Outsmarting Suna High's principal, Sabaku Gaara, was no child's play, and being the ambitious and highly competitive spirit that she was, the tall blonde had made up her mind. Lately, statistics have shown that principal Gaara's school was steadily catching up to them. Some even questioned whether there was even a difference in excellence between the two schools or if by now they became equally impressive. To say that Tsunade disliked this current predicament was an understatement.

So she tapped her fingers upon the goldenly lustered surface of her recently repaired desk. It was no secret that she was a temperamental woman, so why her elite students decided to be late this Monday morning was beyond her. But she wouldn't get frustrated, not so early in the morning. She would rather save that for scolding some of her teachers. There was bound to be at least one who was tardy, most likely a grey-haired Hatake Kakashi. She could always take out her anger on him with no reserves. The man could seriously dodge her every punch, and _that_ said something.

A knock on the door, and her most favored pupils walked inside the office.

_Nara Shikamaru_, captain of the Science Research Club.

_Hyuuga Neji_, captain of the Martial Arts Club.

_Uzumaki Naruto_, football team captain.

_Uchiha Sasuke_, Student Body President.

They wordlessly took their respective seats opposite of her, knowing well enough not to utter a word when being late. Tsunade valued punctuality beyond all else.

"Today, a new semester begins. I expect nothing but the best from you all. Our school prides itself with its high achievements, starting from petty art competitions, to national championships. We are the best in everything we do and-" Tsunade abruptly stopped her rant after taking a closer look at her four elites. They weren't exactly paying attention, and who could blame them? The weekend had just ended, and even the principal knew about the grand party they had all attended last night. Their attention span could be extended only so far, and when Naruto even had the audacity to plainly yawn in front of her, she crumbled the sheet of paper she had been monotonously reading and threw it over her shoulder.

"Okay, enough of that bullcrap. You, my dear elites, will from today onward play a game."

As expected, this had sparked their attention, and had promptly brought their apprehensive gazes, one by one, to latch onto her excited one.

"But the games start on Friday night. Can't you give us a break?" Naruto, the blonde sports genius, whined.

Tsunade's glare had her grandson stiffen. Most would not believe they were related, and not because of how ridiculously young she looked for her age, but because she and her grandson were complete opposites when it came to things they were competent in. He, a sports prodigy who memorized things at a slower pace than the other elites, but remembered what he had memorized over very extended periods of time, whereas she a born leader with great analytical skills. Though, in truth, she secretly envied her beloved grandson's elephant-like memory.

"Before I start, let me tell you that you _all_ have to play. And win. And no, Nara, you cannot decline," she quickly warned, seeing as the lazy Nara genius opened his mouth to downright refuse her. It's what he always did whenever she handed him a task, no matter how easy.

"What kind of game?"

Thankfully, the Hyuuga genius was always calm and open for any challenge, so his inquiry brought a bright smile on her tired face.

"As you all know, by the end of the school year it will be publicly announced which school ranks highest in terms of excellence. The key is having as many mediocre students significantly raise their grades. Principal Gaara had made a public announcement to all his students, _kindly_ asking them to do their best. But we all know that method doesn't work, now don't we?"

"What do you want us to do about it?" Sasuke asked.

Blunt as usual. Everyone knew that the longer the conversation dragged on, the more disinterested the Uchiha prodigy got. His academic accomplishments were beyond reproach, he himself displaying great ability to think clearly under pressure, to quickly adapt to difficult situations, to learn and assimilate at an alarming rate. Still, he was most impatient and irritable. But the students –mainly the female side- had taken an immense liking to him, so his popularity had grown over night. Seeing the rise of said student's annoyance at her delayed response, Tsunade sighed. Without further ado, she passed each of them a folder containing their respective targets for the game.

"These are the files of a few very interesting students attending our school. The game is simple. Each of you will help their 'target' become elite much like yourselves."

Tsunade had to say, their looks were priceless. Seldom times had she seen all of them truly speechless, and it was in these moments that she desired to have a secret camera hidden in her office. Oh, how beautifully she could entertain herself by watching their bewildered expressions whenever she would get bored with all the paperwork.

"Say what?!"

As expected, Naruto was the first to react. Sasuke may be the most impatient of the group, but the blue-eyed boy was definitely the number one most unpredictable student. And the loudest. And the most talkative. And the friendliest. Tsunade could go on. Surprisingly, however, he said nothing more, and only opened the folder he had been handed. Jade eyes stared back at him, and the second thing he noticed was rose-colored hair.

"Sakura?! You want me to help the cheerleading team captain, Sakura Haruno, become elite?! Grandma, that's impossible, she hates so many subjects! Everyone knows that! Just let her be good at cheerleading, Sakura is cute like that!"

"No can do, Naruto. It's either that, or you lose your title as Football captain."

Naruto stilled at this. He had worked so hard to earn that title! Surely she couldn't mean to take it away so easily.

"Higurashi…TenTen?" Neji inquired. "I do not understand why you would want her to become elite, Lady Tsunade."

Higurashi TenTen was a plain girl. Plain as paper, if he were to crudely put it. In regards to her behavior, she acted rather tomboyish most of the time. Even the way she dressed tinted to display her rebellious nature.

"From what I gather, she's in your martial arts club, isn't she, Neji? You are most suited to guide her onto the right path."

The pale-eyed prodigy frowned. A logical explanation, but the principal had avoided answering his question.

"Why do I get the flower girl?" asked indignantly Shikamaru.

"Please, Shikamaru. Ino Yamanaka is a good choice for you. Besides, I hear she has always liked you, so it should be easy, no?"

By now, even Suna High must have been painfully aware of the childhood crush of Ino Yamanaka. This particular girl had the unbefitting habit of spreading gossip around every corner, not even minding when it involved _her_ personal affairs. And that wouldn't be all that bad. The sad thing was he would usually be one way or another dragged into her gossips. This was all too troublesome. This was why Shikamaru hated end of weekends.

The only student to remain silent throughout the whole fiasco was the Uchiha clan's youngest pride and joy, who was currently staring at the picture attached to the file in his hands. Oddly enough, he couldn't quite remember seeing the girl before. With him having several substantial fan clubs –he would rather not remember the male fan clubs- and being forced to face them daily, you'd think he had come to know mostly everyone attending school by now. He had excellent photographic memory, and if names sometimes slipped, he never forgot a face. And apparently, the girl would not be hard to notice. She did, after all, stand out. White eyes of a soft lavender hue, dark indigo hair, radiant ivory skin, her figure presented quite the fetching chromatic contrast. He would've definitely remembered someone like her.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Tsunade said, pointing at Sasuke's file.

"Your sister?" Naruto whispered to Neji.

Shaking his head, the Hyuuga martial artist muttered a "distant cousins", before returning his attention to the principal. By the looks of it, she still had more explaining to do.

"Alright, listen up. Your main goal is, like the Suna principal said, to make as many students get higher scores. However, no matter _what_, your goal will be to turn these girls into elites. We've been told it's unacceptable that our elite team consists only of males. These girls are all special, and influential in their own way. The more students you help improve, the fewer fees you have to pay, the more funding you get for your clubs. If you fail, your titles get removed."

"Grandma, none of this is fair! I've worked my butt off for this and-"

"Now, let's discuss your strategy."

"Strategy?" the student president asked.

"Asking the students _nicely_ to study is a waste of time. I want you to do something that will definitely guarantee the success of your mission."

Everyone watched her expectantly because, thankfully, Tsunade wasn't one to beat around the bush. However, as her honey-colored hues regarded each student knowingly, she chose to prolong the silence, until Shikamaru mouthed an _'oh no…'_. Tsunade chuckled.

"That's right, Nara," she said with a nod, for she could tell by the look in his widened eyes that he had guessed correctly. "You give them a reward whenever they do something right." Tsunade gave a pointed look to her handsome elites. They were all uniquely captivating and the dominant female population of the school would be more than receptive to her top students.

Realization dawned upon them at the implication of her words. All of them, except Naruto, had to admit that the principal's logic was indeed flawless. Also, all of them, with the exception of Shikamaru, were already excelling at the old 'wooing the ladies' technique.

Without another word, Sasuke stood up. This was positively one of the easiest tasks he had been assigned to.

"Reward?" Naruto inquired. Just what kind of reward was he supposed to give?

Tsunade sighed.

"Explain it to him on your way out, will you?"

* * *

…**:::5 weeks later:::…**

"President, look! I got another A! See? Just like I promised you I would! Can I have it now?!"

The red-haired girl stubbornly followed behind the tall Uchiha, eagerness apparent in her loud, persistent voice. She couldn't help but let her eyes roam appreciatively over his broad back, his alabaster skin, the dark charcoal color of his tresses. He had been the object of her desires for many, many months now, and she would do anything for him! Even study all night!

With only a moments' hesitation, Sasuke promptly stopped in his tracks and turned to face the excited girl with a small victorious smirk playing across his lips. This certain girl has been miraculously improving her studies to get a dose of his attention. And who was he to deny her something she so rightfully deserved?

Walking towards her, his hand reached out to abruptly grab her chin, bringing his lips down on hers to move them fervently in a rewarding kiss. Once he pulled away, the girl swiftly swamped to the ground, too weak-kneed to stand.

"Keep up the good work, Karin," he called out as he resumed his previous stride.

The game had been on-going for over a month now, and without a doubt, it was the Uchiha president who was leading the competition. This was attributed to capturing substantial attention from the greatest number of students, even though his comrades were not far behind. All of them had their own fan clubs, but lately, he had seen girls switch between "idols". There were even girls who, for every A that they scored, would run to each elite to ask for a 'reward'. Sasuke sighed. Of course they would figure out a way to profit more from this new form of "study stimulation", if he could call it that.

Ah, but it really did not matter. He had "conquered" more than enough and just as he had suspected, this new game did not prove to be a very challenging task. Of course, the other "game players" would offer good resistance, each coming up with ingenious ways to further their success and popularity rate, but that was the only true entertainment this game brought. His true dissatisfaction –and he disliked admitting it- came from not interacting with his target.

.

Why? Because this nerve-wracking target of his just wasn't your typical student. No, she was always taking "independent studies" or "occupied with club activities". Or at least that's what his sources and her classmates were saying. Yes, he had procured her class schedule and after reading it once it remained engrained in his mind. His memorizing skills were truly a most convenient gift. But it served no purpose since whenever he came looking for her, he'd be told she had "just left" or "felt sick" or who-knows-what-else. It was ridiculous, but he was constantly one step behind, as if she were this small imp who figured out when he came looking for her and knew when to conveniently go 'poof'. If this kept going, he'd have to go and do the only thing left to do; ask Neji about her. Why hasn't he done so yet, you may ask? Because who would willingly make it easier for the other players to win the game?

There was one other place Sasuke needed to check and he intended on doing so today. He had recently learned she was the school librarian's assistant. And she preferred using the private library. As did he. Perfect.

Looking around at the mass of people gradually surrounding him, he easily spotted among the enthusiastic girls a number of angered stares. He let out another sigh. Shortly after the female population of the school learned of this new rewarding policy, there were those who insisted he offered a more intimate reward. Naturally, he obliged, seeing as he had been engaging in such activities long before the game had been put in motion. But he failed to understand their complaints. Why complain about his cold treatment after the deed was done? It was mutually agreed that all that would transpire between him and the willing girl of choice, it would only have a physical implication. Nothing more, nothing less. The complaints still came. And even so, there didn't seem to be a shortage of willing participants afterwards. Sasuke would have found it all amusing, had it not been so damn annoying. They knew, all of them, that he would dump them the next morning. What reason would he have not to? But the willing candidates still came and came, and then whined and whined, and then gossiped and gossiped, and then stalked him and stalked him. Just plain annoying. Infuriating even.

As he passed by, more girls aligned in front of him waving their A-graded tests, and with practiced ease he brought each of them in a crushing hug, kissing each girl hungrily. It's what they wanted and it was for the school. What better way to stimulate a girl's desire for education?

"E-Excuse me, President Uchiha…"

A soft voice stammered right before he delivered another rightfully deserved kiss, effectively making him press his lips in a thin line with frustration. Why couldn't they wait their damn turn?!

"Look, I'll give you your reward in a few m-"

But his sentence remained unfinished, for as he turned around to snap at whoever interrupted him, his eyes widened. There she was, the object of him winning his ultimate prize. The target he had been searching for all these weeks, but could never find. He had gone through complete hell because of her! The principal had almost withdrawn him from the competition!

"Hyuuga Hinata."

The way he called her name had surprised Hinata and made her raise her eyes to look at him questioningly, nervously. If it were up to her, she wouldn't be here at his particular hour, but how could she deny the librarian? But the crowd and loud noises were enough to make her regret having come all the same. Her pale eyes locked with his onyx ones, but she quickly looked away, his intense gaze and stoic expression enough to make her fidget with the leather cover of the book held tightly between her tender fingers. In an unconscious act of uncertainty and nervousness, she bit the corner of her lip to keep from making an even less astounding first impression in front of the school's best student. She wasn't one to go with the masses, and mostly kept to herself. And that was why this was the first time she was actually seeing the Student Body President up close and not at a desk in front of an auditorium. And she too had to admit that the rumors did not do him justice. She had seen from afar that Uchiha Sasuke was a good-looking man, but up close? He was truly…beautiful.

"P-President, Ms. Konan asked me t-to give you the book you've requested," came her soft explanation while she slowly extended the aforementioned book to him.

Sasuke looked down at the petite girl before him, noting her baggy clothing, her shaking voice, her flustered face. She truly wasn't what he had expected. In the picture that he had seen of her, the girl smiled brightly, her hair held in a neat bun, and she was clad in a dark dress. The picture had been taken at the annual school ball, no doubt, but from that picture he had been led to believe he would meet a second Sakura. All confidence and loud laughter. Maybe not the witty remarks and annoying low class sarcasm, but still. Instead, here she was, a small girl far too shy to try to make a daring suggestion to him, as most girls in her case would've done. He snatched the book away, briefly reading over the title and remembering that he had, indeed, requested the book..

Offering a quick bow as a short and respectful goodbye, Hinata hurriedly turned around to walk away, but before she could, a hand –far larger than her own, she unwillingly noted- firmly gripped her upper arm.

"Where do you think you're going, Hyuuga?"

His words made her stiffen, her hand latching on impulse onto the tight grip he had on her arm in an attempt to loosen his hold. Her white eyes silently questioned him, not understanding at all why he was bent on prolonging their meeting.

"Don't you want your _reward_?"

The deep chuckle that followed those words had her staring at him incredulously, all the while taking notice how with practiced ease he brought her motionless body closer to his. She offered a timid shake of her head, but he seemed to completely disregard it.

This was so easy. Sasuke knew now. The competition was won. By him.

Small hands had immediately gripped his shoulders the moment he had released her arm, and pushed with enough force to have him falter in his movements and stare at the girl with downright confusion. What was she doing?

"I-I don't need a reward," she explained, the blush on her cheeks taking a deep fuchsia color. If she stayed any longer, things would definitely get worse, and she could feel how hostile the girls around them were becoming.

But once she tried to move away again, his arm had efficiently wrapped around her waist, pulling her in a tight and more restricting embrace while the other hand grabbed her chin again, forcing her to face him.

"So you have a little fight in you, is that it?" He smirked. "All the better."

And with that, his lips descended upon hers in a dominating kiss.

* * *

…**:::About this chapter:::…**

Hello, my beautiful, beautiful readers! I've wanted to write a High school SasuHina fic for so long, and now I've finally convinced myself to do it. I'm not very confident about this, but I guess I will see how it goes depending on how people respond to this. Take care everyone! :3


	2. Chapter 2

Tsunade's lips twitched.

Before her stood her best elite, flawless uniform, immaculate white shirt, missing tie (as usual), yet his visage was not so flawless.

A small snort escaped her lips.

The more she tried, the harder it was to contain it, for the longer she gazed upon the reddening handprint left on his cheek, she simply could not help herself.

She burst into laughter.

"I must say, Uchiha, you've had better days!"

After all, it wasn't every day that the notorious prodigy was met with rejection, and even then, it was never accompanied by a physically reprimanding memento. And Tsunade had a very good idea of who the lovely female responsible for such a feat was. She had to give it to Hinata, this was _handy_ work…in more ways than one.

Thus, the president remained silent. Why dignify with an answer something that left him, as well, unpleasantly bewildered? If he were to be honest, he was still somewhat vexed, and possibly a little indecisive on how to proceed. There were _ways_, of course, but which one was best –or better yet, which one _he_ would enjoy most- he had yet to determine. Also, he refused to be maimed by his principal's mocking.

"I'm done," he announced.

Tsunade ceased her amused snickering, pinning her student with a most serious look. He was not joking. This was not right, Sasuke was not one to give up so easily. Quite the contrary, she knew he positively despised forfeit. So why now, of all times, did he decide to withdraw? Moreover, did he honestly believe he had a say in the matter? His participation was crucial, and, like it or not, he would not be allowed to decline. She knew all too well that when it came to this stage of the conversation, it was too late to reason with the Uchiha genius. No, the young president matched her stubbornness. It was time for some threats and blackmail.

"Your job is not done."

"800 girls have increased their scores under my tutelage, out of which 150 of them have participated in national competitions and won suitable prizes. Moreover, Hyuuga Hinata is already an acceptable student. As far as I'm concerned, _this_ competition is over."

Yes, it was true, Hinata's grades were good. Not brilliant, but good. However, that was not the point, Tsunade knew.

"In case you've forgotten, Uchiha, the deal was to make your target elite._ That_ was our main agreement."

He stared at her indifferently. He hadn't forgotten this aspect of their bargain, of course. But what the principal did not know was that his withdrawal from this unchallenging game did not coincide with diminishing his interaction with the Hyuuga girl. Quite the contrary.

This morning's incident was not something he had expected to happen, but he had every intention of acting accordingly and getting back at the unsuspecting girl. Despite the circumstances, a bystander could conclude but one thing: he had been struck _by a girl_, and with a great crowd to witness the deed. That wasn't something he could easily dismiss. He had every intention of relishing in the panic that would cross her face. It would be in her benefit if he were out of the game. Then he would exact retribution at his own pace. Painfully slow, but delightfully enjoyable. However, were he to remain a participant in the principal's game, he would be bound by said game's rules. Yes, he could make them work to his advantage, but then he would be compelled to act swiftly so that he may obtain favorable results in record time. And the _rush, _the _pressure_ would make him even more competitive, would provoke him into being far more aggressive. However, game or no game, he had every intention to exact some form of satisfactory retribution.

"Your sole accomplishment is improving the grades of several girls," Tsunade put it bluntly, despite the great amount of girls he had helped, "yet you are behind everyone else in terms of interacting with your target. As far as_ I_ am concerned, so far you are the loser of this game."

Oh, she had struck a very sensitive nerve, and they both knew it. His well defined lips pressed into a thin line, a sole indication of his displeasure, for his features remained schooled into a mask of his ever unbreakable nonchalance. The more he silently debated with himself on how to proceed with the perplexing girl that was his target, the more the principal mistook his unrelenting silence for frustration.

And yet, how accurate the principal's interpretation was could not have bothered him less. Truth be told, this was turning out exactly as he had wanted. It was not by chance that Sasuke reported to the principal's office only several minutes after the forsaken incident. He also had no doubt that deep down, the principal too was wondering just why he had chosen to come see her when the evidence of his humiliation was still so visible. However, Sasuke knew Tsunade Senju was not one to doddle on other people's motives, unless truly important. He knew she wouldn't give much thought to his ulterior motives. And yet, they were real. Very real, and quite indecent. He was well acquainted with how quickly his principal would react should he mention a possible withdrawal from the competition, and he also knew that now was the time for him to make several demands. Tsunade would relent, as long as it insured his continued cooperation. And that was exactly what he'd been aiming for all along.

"No more boundaries."

A blonde, perfectly shaped eyebrow rose at his sudden demand. Tsunade was intrigued.

"Excuse me?"

"Full access and unlimited time inside the new buildings. Free access to the secretarial office's database. No questioning the places I go, the people I see."

So, he desired complete independence in this game, did he? To say that this was interesting was an understatement, Tsunade decided. Her top elite proved overly determined and definitely not in the mood to be deterred. His requirements were most curious, and yet, no matter how she looked at it, she had no plausible reason to deny him. Most people would protest her logic, seeing as the aloof prodigy had a most rebellious nature. Ironically, despite his president status –a position meant to ensure school laws were being followed- Sasuke was not one to abide by the rules, even going as far as gaining the reputation of one who broke rules without giving much consideration to the possible consequences. Still, no one could deny that when the situation truly called for it, the president proved most efficient and responsible.

She closed her tired eyes, releasing a sigh of defeat. She would relent this time.

"Done."

He smirked then. He had succeeded, and now, he could move on to more _enjoyable_ matters.

* * *

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Konan?"

The blue-haired librarian adjusted her glasses, briefly glancing over the monitor of her computer to stare in wonder at her shy assistant who patiently awaited her response. Smart, quiet, collected, polite, and innocently introverted, the young Hyuuga was quite possibly the most suitable person for the position that she currently occupied. Such an inspired decision it had been to allow the soft-spoken Hinata to join the library staff even within her first year of high school, and Konan had never once regretted her decision.

Truthfully, the head librarian of the country's most resourceful library was a woman of few words and did not particularly like surrounding herself with new faces. Fortunately for her, yet quite tragic for the young generation, few students chose to spend time in the company of good books. Hinata, however, was an exception among exceptions. Konan had seen them all, all the types of students that frequently occupied a chair or two inside the library: either mediocre nerds who sought to robotically memorize new formulas, heart-broken girls –in rare cases, some boys too- who wanted to quench their sorrow in novels, the top 4 elites who hungered for knowledge, yet never truly tasted the personality of the book they were perusing. None of them would taste the unknown and unexplored universe of a book like the timid girl in front of her did. There was hidden potential within her, Konan could see, but she had yet to see the delicate girl tap into it.

Konan had expected Hinata not to return today, seeing as she had finished her tasks early in the morning. In fact, if she recalled correctly, the last thing she had asked her to do was deliver a book to one of the elites. Why she was back was anyone's guess, and Konan was not one to pry, but one thing was certain: Hinata looked more flustered than usual.

"No, thank you, Hinata. You can go to class early if you want."

With a demure shake of her head, Hinata grabbed another pile of books which needed to be placed in the proper order on their respective shelves. No, she had no desire to go to class early. In truth she had gotten very used to her independent studies. Many were the reasons to justify her solitary life, yet today, her reasons for not returning to class were entirely different.

Once out of the librarian's sight, her rapid pace gradually decreased and with a quick side-step to hide behind a large mahogany bookcase, she finally heaved a deep sigh. She needed time alone, time to think and put her thoughts in order. What better place to do so than the silent and vacant labyrinth of their beautiful bibliotheca? And so she gave in to her inner turmoil, letting her slender body rest against the bookcase and slide down until she could finally feel the immaculately polished floor beneath her. The book she had brought with her soon became forgotten, and with a light thud, it slipped from her hand and landed beside her, awakening a thin layer of dust to dance sporadically in the rays of light that filtered through the bookshelves.

Slightly trembling fingers rose to her coral lips, reliving as if in slow motion the events that occurred but merely 2 hours ago. She shouldn't have done that. She truly shouldn't have. Never mind that the president had acted without her consent, she had behaved so rashly. She should've found a better way to deal with the situation, but she had downright provoked the school's most prideful and influential elite. Her ivory cheeks were gradually gaining a most befitting shade of fuchsia the more she remembered her meeting with the Student Body President.

Such a mixture of emotions she was feeling; _bewilderment_ of what had transpired between her and the aristocratic Uchiha, _captivation_, she scandalously admitted, towards his ever so elegant allure, _shame_ due to him stealing something she had desired to receive from someone else, _disorientation_ for she did not know how to proceed. Because of her actions, she knew things were going to take a turn for the worst.

And now, what was she supposed to do? Should she…continue on with her plans for the day? Would she meet him again if she did? She hoped not, yet she also knew that the chances of it happening were very high now, especially due to her being so involved with club activities.

Within their esteemed school existed many clubs; some were completely dedicated to extracurricular activities, such as cooking, foreign languages, swimming, martial arts, the list went on and on, and some clubs were dedicated to completely supporting their top four elites. School policy claimed that a student wasn't allowed to join more than three clubs. Because of that, Hinata had decided to be a part-time staff member. Since it was not an official full time membership, she was mentioned in no register and other members paid no mind to her. This arrangement was most suitable for Hinata. Yes, she was quite introverted, but her passions were many and the "part-time membership" arrangement allowed her to participate in more than three clubs. And the truth was she was very pleased with everything she had learned so far from all the clubs she was involved in: she was a part-time lab assistant directly responsible for microscope samples at Nara Shikamaru's Science Research Club; for the Martial Arts Club….well, she was a Hyuuga, martial arts had been taught to her before she could walk; she helped the cooking club; she was involved with the Ikebana club; she was also…part of the cheerleading team…in a way.

And although one particular elite had managed to slip through her defenses and win her own innocent affection, Hinata had avoided joining the fan club dedicated solely to him. A small, genuine smile of appreciation formed on her lips as she recalled the beautiful face of their Football Team Captain. Naruto Uzumaki was someone she truly looked up to, someone who deserved so much more than what was being given to him. One thoughtful encouragement from him, one selfless act of him standing up for her within their first year of high school, and the sports genius had made Hinata see him in a completely different light. Behind his bright smile, she saw compassion. Behind his cheerful nature, she saw determination. Behind all the hardships he had endured to get where he was, he seemed to hold no resentment towards anyone. Behind everything, she saw how much he had to offer, and how little he asked in return. How could she not be enamored with someone like him?

However, the more she watched him, the more she noticed how little the fan girls would get through to him, how little attention he paid them. Of course, that also had something to do with his strong affection for his childhood crush, their charming head cheerleader. But Hinata had decided that regardless of that, she too would try to support him and be of as much help as she could. And she had indeed found a way to approach him. An unorthodox one, true, but she hoped that with time, she too would somehow, at some point, be able to instigate a way for him to **notice** her and not be reluctant to entertain thoughts of her as a potential love interest.

She will not let today's incident interfere with the things she desired to achieve, she decided. It was not fair. And perhaps her apprehensive mind was blowing things out of proportion; she did have a habit of doing that.

And just like that, her eyes burst open, having not even noticed that she had closed them in fearful contemplation. She had just remembered: **she was late for practice!**

* * *

"So…you're basically saying you're interested in me?"

Neji suppressed a frustrated groan. It was getting rather difficult to entertain a decent conversation with the infuriating woman that was his target since she had the ridiculous habit of simplifying his words and turning them into something they were not.

"I asked if you had free time. I was hoping for a _**yes**_ or _**no**_."

"I specifically recall you asking about my relationship status too."

"I was being considerate."

And just like that, she turned around and immediately answered her ringing phone. No "Please excuse me for a moment" or maybe even a casual "Hold on, please". No, it's what she did best: dismissing her interlocutor as if she had been alone all along. He failed to see how people imagined him presumptuous when in front of him stood the epitome of this concept. Really, he had a hard time understanding just where her confidence came from, or what gave her confidence in the first place. Physically speaking, she was…plain, to crudely put it. Plain. All there was to her was round chocolate eyes, skin of a pleasing light olive-like tone, and a pair of well defined, long legs that- …Very well, so he did not find her **completely** displeasing to the eye. But in light of current events, her attitude was still irking him to no end. He had half a mind to just reach out and close her godforsaken phone himself, and at least finish what he had come to tell her. But praised be the heavens, she had closed it on her own before he could risk throwing it outside the window and into the koi pond their school was so fond of.

"In case you **do** have free time," Neji began in a deceitfully calm demeanor, "I wanted to-"

"Hyuuga," another voice interrupted him.

Today just wasn't his day. And with a markedly displeased click of his tongue, the Hyuuga genius turned to face the notably dissatisfied Student Body President. Truth be told, Neji was vexed to see that Sasuke had chosen to interrupt him at this very moment. It's **not **what they agreed on, after all. Right at the beginning of the "principal's game", as they called it, all elites had made a solemn promise which as time went by became an unwritten rule, so to say: no interrupting when the "game-players" spend time with their targets. That kind of time was limited, after all. But here stood the aloof Uchiha, ruining an already difficult conversation with the Higurashi girl.

"I have to get going," Tenten announced with a wave of her hand. "See ya."

And just like that, the two elites were left alone to deal with their mutual displeasure, not one of them bothering to respond to the girl's casual goodbye. As her light footsteps disappeared around the corner of the school's corridor, the talented Hyuuga successor finally voiced his indignation.

"What do you want, Sasuke?"

A moment of silence followed. What it was for was anybody's guess, really, and Neji didn't have the time to doddle on what could possibly deter his usually sharp-tongued friend.

"Tell me where your cousin is," Sasuke finally demanded.

Ah, he should've known. And judging by the light, yet still visible reddening of the pale Uchiha's cheek, he had quite a good understanding of why his tone sounded determined, undermined with urgency and the ever present impatience. Neji smirked. His cousin had undoubtedly proved to the notorious Uchiha that she did have Hyuuga strength in her strike.

But Sasuke would not let the martial arts captain consider his response much longer.

"Don't try to use the 'distant cousins' card. It's clear how much you look after her."

True, Sasuke had not been aware of how close Neji truly was to his petite younger cousin, but his sources were vast and efficient. It did not take them long to inform him of the time the two cousins spent together, and of the close friendship they had.

"What's in it for me?" _Why beat around the bush?_ Neji thought. There was no point in denying something that was true and something he most certainly wasn't ashamed of. Circumstances considered, there was room for bargaining.

"You've been trying to get a position at the hospital Higurashi works part-time at, but with no results. That can be changed."

That was undoubtedly true. Yes, the Hyuuga's were influential, but the Uchiha's were even more so.

"Very well," the pale-eyed genius consented.

* * *

"Alright, ladies, let's call it a day!"

High-spirited and vivacious, the head cheerleader proudly made her announcement, truly satisfied to see how her charmingly spoken words brought relieved smiles upon the faces of every other girl present on the field of their school's sports arena. It had been a long practice, hard and quick-stepped. But every effort had been worth the while, for even Sakura had to admit that the dance they had put together was by far the most outstanding one they had ever done. She sincerely could not wait for the football competition. As far as cheerleading performance went, their adversary high school, Suna, was beneath impressive. At least in her opinion. Sure, it was notable that the Suna girls were just as hard-working, but choreography-wise, Sakura's team excelled and she had every intention to always put on a better performance than the one she had previously done.

"In order to celebrate our complete rehearsal, I've asked the cooking club to make us something special. Please enjoy," and with those words, Sakura motioned behind her, where a few members of the cooking club had arranged a large table filled with freshly made peach buns. It was a simple and sweet snack, but it was fairly tasty and well-liked by the majority of the students, and the cheerleading team was no exception.

One could say it was comical to see how every girl, tall or small, energetic or exhausted, all rushed in a rush of legs, dust and hair to reach the table and finally reward themselves with the appetizing pastry.

"Hey, where's our mascot?" asked one of the girls, fighting off the crumbs her unlady-like manner of eating smeared across her lips and cheeks.

"Leave her. It's not our business if she wanted to leave early."

It didn't go unnoticed to anyone that Sakura Haruno was not very fond of the poor girl inside the mascot suit. But none of them bothered to comment on it. The truth was they were simply glad that someone had taken the position, seeing as during auditions, their team captain had made quite a few girls burst into tears due to her acidic, criticizing words. So it was only normal that when one day another girl dressed in the mascot suit appeared and was finally accepted by the team captain, they asked no questions and were simply satisfied to see a mascot practicing along with them.

* * *

Cute fluffy ears. She loved them. She really, really did.

Every time she took off the mascot head, she would take the time to run her fingers across the furry fabric and caress the pretty fox ears, for that was what the mascot costume represented: a beautiful, red furred fox with nine-tails, in honor of their football team conveniently named Kyuubi.

At first, Hinata had not expected to become so attached to the duties of a mascot, seeing as she too had once dreamed of being a cheerleader. Let's be fair, an athletic, sports loving girl like herself, who also happened to be enamored with the kindhearted and sympathetic Football Captain, of course she would be interested in being a cheerleader. It was the obvious choice. But her reconsidering of that decision had little to do with Sakura's caustic personality, and more to do with the fact that… she had never seen Naruto give at least one girl a second glance, save for Sakura, whom it was clear he adored with all his being. It was a wonder she did not return his feelings and instead chose to give her undivided attention to the Student Body President.

That being said, she had chosen to become the mascot. She knew the team needed one and she knew how disappointed Naruto was that for a very long time the spot remained vacant. And so, she decided she would wear the costume and do her best. It oddly enough became a beautiful experience. It was ideal for an introvert like herself, and it allowed her to support the sports genius, albeit discreetly.

She did not know if he would ever come to return her feelings, but being there, on the field, watching him score victories and be as happy as he'd ever be, it truly seemed the most satisfying thing for her. It's not that Hinata was a coward. No. It's true that she was timid, and she sometimes took longer to choose the right words to voice her thoughts -especially when under pressure- but she did try to tell Naruto of her feelings at one point. Of course, it didn't exactly go as planned, seeing as seconds later from her confession, it was announced over the school speakers that it was April Fools ' Day. Okay, she should've checked the date before confessing. Of course, the outcome was inevitable. The Uzumaki sports genius laughed and patted her shoulder tenderly, telling her "good one". After that, she avoided him, the experience making her uneasy. She truly didn't want him to think that her confession was merely a prank. But Naruto being the sweet and goofy Naruto, every time he'd see her on the corridors, he'd just laugh sympathetically again and remember about the "cute prank" she pulled on April Fools'.

Back then, her hair was short, and she was very small and thin. As the years passed, her figure had changed, her hair growing longer, its violet shade darkening; her height increased, allowing her to look slim and well proportioned; her body matured, and gained a much more feminine shape. And due to their classes together lessening, and their meetings gradually decreasing, the Uzumaki captain had all but forgotten about her. Or he just simply did not recognize the "April Fools' Day" girl anymore.

But Hinata saw in this a new opportunity. And as she gazed upon the Kyuubi costume head between her small hands, she could not help but smile. She was glad that she could cheer Naruto on, even anonymously.

But she digressed. The truth is she had a very good reason for leaving the practice as soon as it ended, careful to sneak away unnoticed. And she needed to hurry changing out of the costume before the other girls walked inside the locker room.

A few months ago, she made a sort of deal with Sakura Haruno. She basically asked –or, better yet, insisted- that Sakura accepted her on the team. The harsh words that were spoken in response to that request meant far too little to Hinata, and she was more than glad to be able to explain to the pretentious cheerleading captain that she had no desire to be an official cheerleader. Just a mascot. And so, Hinata promised that she would not interfere with their rehearsals and that she would be glad to undertake the duties of a mascot. Her one and only requirement was that Sakura allowed her to keep her identity a secret. It's not that she was ashamed of her mascot role, but she simply didn't want the principal and other students questioning how many club activities she participated in. You never knew when one or two were found out. Best try to be prudent. Needless to say, Sakura agreed to her terms.

And so, here she was, in the far corner of the locker room, where the light was dim and she was somewhat shielded by anyone who walked in due to other lockers placed in front of her small bench.

The rest of the mascot costume was soon discarded, and she was left in a mesh top that she usually wore underneath the costume, and a pair of black shorts. It was getting dark, the light inside the room dimming by the minute, threatening to soon leave her veiled in darkness. It was just her luck that the light bulb in that part of the locker room decided to burn out.

With precise movements, she neatly folded the costume and placed it inside her small white locker. It was time for her to leave.

"The school mascot. I never would've guessed."

Her heart stopped. This was _not_ happening. Why was _he_ here?

"Turn around, Hyuuga. Showing me your back isn't going to make me go away."

Her movements were rigid, but she did do as he so authoritatively commanded.

"I'm so sorry," she immediately blurted. It was as if her mind reacted on instinct to hearing his displeased tone and immediately tried to fix what she undoubtedly thought the problem was…and the reason for his unwanted visit.

Sasuke regarded her wordlessly, calmly. His sharply alert eyes quickly observed her appearance, everything from her attire -notably less loose than her usual one- to the length of her hair, to her height (distinctly smaller than his own), to her overall appearance. In doing so, he dismissed her quick apology without a second thought. Of course he was aware that by now she would feel differently about the little incident involving the two of them, but her three stuttered words of regret would most certainly not suffice. He had other things planned.

However, he had to give it to her: choosing to be a mascot in order to be close to her crush? It was quite ingenious. Not too close to Naruto to suffocate him with attention as so many other girls did, but not too distant either. Ingenious. But far too subtle for someone as simple-minded and dense regarding all love-triggered actions as Naruto. Still, it was something completely new…and unique. He could appreciate the innovation of her plan.

"Is there…something you want?" Hinata asked, albeit regretting that she used that precise choice of words.

The president merely inclined his head to the side. A poor choice of words indeed. But she was very much spot on.

And the more she looked him in the eye, Hinata felt heat rising to her cheeks. She was not used to being…inspected so closely. It was hard to explain because he didn't do anything in particular to heighten her unease, but he was intimidating. Ironically though, hard as she tried to avoid meeting his scrutinizing gaze, her eyes still lifted and tried to photographically memorize his elegant visage. It was a different kind of beauty. Not boyish like Naruto's, nor mature like Neji's, nor like Shikamaru's. His was… aristocratic, graceful…polished with ivory skin, and completed with an underline of bad boy air given by his clothing and his rebellious hairstyle. She tried not to scoff. Bad boys were the opposite of the type she was attracted to. Most definitely.

For a moment she thought he would speak again, but then his eyes lowered from her own, fixing their sharp gaze unto her torso. It did not take a genius to figure out he was paying attention to her…different attire. But she refused to give him the chance to analyze her any more than necessary.

"I have to go-"

"I have something for you."

And there it was. He spoke again, and his attention was once again on her face.

But no more than a few seconds later did they hear laughter and chatter coming from down the hallway. It would seem the girls were returning to the locker room, and the noise of their approaching steps became louder much faster than usual. Why were they in a hurry today of all days? Not only was she risking being seen, but she was risking being seen _with_ the Uchiha president of all people. This was not good. This was so not good.

Thankfully, the prodigious president was one to quickly react and without warning, he grabbed the indecisive girl, embracing her skillfully and silently with one arm around her shoulder and casually prompting her to fall in step with him and nonchalantly exit the locker room, making sure that the approaching team of girls would be able to see him, yet not be able to see who was beside him.

Needless to say, his sudden appearance in a place where male presence was forbidden came as a shock to the other unsuspecting cheerleaders. After all, who on earth could expect to one day come back from practice and see the illustrious dark-haired elite exiting the girls' locker room in the company of someone they couldn't pin point? Nevertheless, his presence had caused them all to stop talking and simply stare in utter bewilderment.

To Sasuke's eternal chagrin, their quiet shock quickly turned into a loud uproar. He was merely thankful for the master key –a beautifully designed white card with the red Konoha symbol- that one of the campus guards gave him (courtesy of Sasuke offering generous compensation); it was the one thing he relied on to escape the growing crowd that undoubtedly tried to follow him. But there were corridors restricted to students, doors only the master key could open, and he took advantage of exactly that. Turning an abrupt corner, and swiping the master key against the sensors, a door leading to a different part of the building opened, and as soon as he and the quiet girl beside him entered, it closed and kept anyone else on the other side of the door. For now, they could relax.

Not seeing the point in talking to the relieved girl in a dusty corridor, he simply continued to lead her outside, thankful for the fact that she did not sputter a thousand questions. A beautiful quality in a girl, he decided.

Once outside, Hinata finally removed his arm from around her with an urgency that astounded even her. She was very much appreciative of him helping her avoid a most unpleasant incident, but being alone with him hardly qualified as a situation she could relax in. It also didn't help that, while she dearly cherished the football captain, being in close proximity with the Uchiha elite was not something she was completely immune to. What girl could handle allowing a handsome –albeit arrogant, and deceivingly clever- but handsome man embracing her that closely and say they are completely unaffected by it? Maybe there _were_ girls who could handle that, but Hinata suspected it was harder for her since she had kept her interaction with the opposite sex at a minimum. And the truth was, as brief as it was, she hated that he managed to capture her attention and wrap her in an unconscious timid sort of attraction. Brief, but it was still there. Her apprehensiveness grew the more she watched him, the more the silence stretched between them, and the more she recalled that…he had something for her. It made her feel uneasy. But first…

"Thank you."

Her words were soft, yet sincere. It was clear to him that she felt real gratitude from not having to deal with her teammates. And if truth be told, he could not blame her.

Instead of answering her sweet declaration, he decided to proceed with what he wanted to tell her.

"Here's your new dorm key."

_What?! _

No…that wasn't possible.

Even _he_ could not have that much authority on their campus.

As If to prove her point, she hurriedly reached inside her pocked to grasp her _real_ dorm key, a red card similar to the master one, yet thicker, with a red light that was usually turned off; it also had her name and room number engraved on it. The electronic key started to beep. And her face paled even more. It was not supposed to make that sound. The key was designed to recognize her fingerprints. The beeping noise meant that it didn't, that it had been deactivated.

"I've taken the liberty of changing your dorm room. Can you guess where your new one is, Hyuuga?"

* * *

…**:::About this chapter:::…**

Hello, sweet and patient readers! I know it has been a ridiculous long time, but I sincerely hope this second chapter was worth the wait. I want to apologize for making you wait this long, university life is so demanding and no matter how much the people around me tell me I have to "act like an adult", I can't give up on animes and fanfics. At least not for good. I still come back to them. Eventually.

_**!IMPORTANT!**_

Some of you have left reviews saying that this story seems familiar, as if you've read it before. That's because it's **TRUE**. **I have published this story loooong ago on but have deleted it due to people republishing it.** It doesn't matter if a story sounds good or silly or outrageous, the author does spend time writing it and trying to make it enjoyable for reading, so when someone else steals your work and claims it's their own? It stings. But I've decided to republish it AND modify it. It's going to be BETTER. Look forward to lots of comedy, lots of steamy scenes and a lot of character development since that is something that I truly appreciate in a story. The characters need to evolve and not remain as they were when the story began.

That being said, I am very happy to be back and hope I will not disappoint you. Feel free to give me suggestions, advice, anything you feel can improve this beautiful experience for all of us. I'm always receptive to constructive criticism and your opinions truly matter to me.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews, my passion for this story has been renewed by reading them. You are all amazing. Take care and see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata found herself staring at a tall, imposing building. Large, of a beautiful pastel color, with intricate designs; the elite dorm building was placed in the middle of their campus court, surrounded by spacious parking lots and bicycle stands. With the Konoha High grounds occupying quite the vast surface of the Western part of their city, a great amount of this surface was allocated to their campus region. Plenty of dorms have been built over the years, and the living spaces were truly the best the country had to offer.

The elite dorm was a completely different matter altogether. The most notorious clans of their city have requested that the top students be given additional advantages even when it came to living spaces. But said clans did not demand this solely because a member of each clan happened to be elite. This dorm had been built for all who would someday become top students, be they from renowned clans or not. Excellence had to be thoroughly rewarded, is what they would say.

So while regular students would enjoy a beautiful room –each room housing two students- with an additional bathroom –markedly smaller- an elite would enjoy having 3 living quarters all to himself; a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen. Quite neat, wasn't it? And while the regular dorms provided only one large kitchen on each floor, the elites did not have to bother sharing their eating spaces either. This was why so many students strived to become elite. Not just to catch up to the four commendable top students, but because there were extra luxuries to enjoy. Needless to say, the elite building provided rooms far more luxurious than the regular ones. So many perks, yet it was so hard to obtain them.

And that was precisely why Hinata's nervousness grew with every step she took inside the elite dorm. She had no business being here. She was nowhere near a position to demand a room here, let alone enter the building and stroll through it as if it was the most natural thing for her to do. Yet here she was, being led by their imposing president through the silent, massive corridors. The entire walk was wrapped in a thick fog, her mind forgetting the details of just how she had complied to follow him. She could only remember that her every word of resistance had been met with silence. This only served to increase her aggravation, and she was astonished that there had been no guards to question her entering the building altogether. She had even tried turning around to leave, and ever since then he kept a tight grip on her wrist and resumed leading her to wherever it was he wanted to get to. And the fog around her mind thickened afterwards, probably because despite her apprehensiveness, she could not help but admire the interior of the building she was seeing for the first time. Her cousin rarely spoke of it and she thought it childish to ask him "What do your rooms look like?" or "Are they as beautiful as they say?". Of course, there were pictures online of them, but the building had recently been renovated. She could only assume they looked splendid.

Tall walls of matching pastel colors and tones of grey were tastefully decorated with painted pictures, portraits of notorious figures that have graced the halls of their famed institution in the past. Massive, mahogany stairs polished to perfection allowed them to ascend to higher floors, also permitting her to admire the sophisticated ornaments adorning the furniture of their spacious hall. Once they reached the first floor, she remembered another aspect of this building. Each clan owned a floor of this impressively built edifice. The first floor belonged to the Uzumaki clan. And surely enough, her eyes quickly rested on a pair of large doors with the room number and Naruto's name written on a golden insignia in elegant calligraphy. A slow blush dusted her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, willing herself to keep her emotions at bay.

The second floor belonged to the Nara clan. She had identified the Nara genius' living quarters just as quickly as she had Naruto's.

The third floor belonged to her clan, and that was precisely why they had stopped here. No doubt, the fourth floor belonged to the Uchiha's.

With quick strides, they rapidly passed her older cousin's rooms, which were placed at the far end of the corridor. The president kept leading her away, passing by other empty rooms on their hastened march until they reached the one at the opposite end of the hall, near another set of stairways that led to the upper floor. The door number read "312". With a slight furrow of her indigo brows, Hinata did a small deduction inside her mind. She had seen the room numbers that belonged to each elite. Unbeknownst to Sasuke, she had also caught a glimpse of his own electronic key on their hurried walk here. And she did not like the conclusion she had come to.

Knowing that now it was positively impossible for her to try and evade him, what with her being so fascinated by the building he currently resided in, Sasuke released her hand, wasting no time in opening the door of the empty rooms with the electronic key he was about to gift her. Grateful as he was for her quiet demeanor, he knew that now it was time to have a most memorable discussion. With a most respectful extension of his hand –a habit he had acquired courtesy of his mother- he motioned for her to step inside.

"Why do this?" he heard her murmur, not flinching from her spot.

And once again, she was met with silence. He couldn't possibly mean for her to stay here, of all places. Not to mention how far stricter the dorm guards were in comparison to those stationed at her old dorm building.

"I s-shouldn't be staying here!"

But it seemed no matter what she said, she would not evoke any kind of reaction from the aloof genius. She was left speechless. If this little display of authority was meant as some sort of punishment, she was at a complete loss. Or perhaps she had misjudged him and he was actually trying to do a good deed? That seemed…unlikely. The invitation he had wordlessly extended her to step inside the room remained unanswered.

Her constant fidgeting and repeated snap of her head from right to left, then left to right to make sure the wrong people were not witnessing where he had brought her was starting to irk him. Did she truly believe he would not have taken the necessary precautions to ensure their little stroll through the elite dorm would be allowed and not frowned upon? Well, the latter was a bit difficult to guarantee, but then again he hardly gave much consideration to who frowned upon something that would one way or another benefit him.

Hinata felt the weight of his glare. If she delayed her entrance any longer, things would not go well. And in all honesty, the Uchiha seemed already hard to predict and if the morning's incident was any proof of it, she was in no hurry to discover how else he reacted to being ignored. Wordlessly, she entered.

Nothing prepared her for the impact the beauty of this bedroom would have on her. While it definitely could not rival the one she owned back home, she was forced to admit that this came as a close second. Light blue walls; low, spacious bed, combining modern design with traditional Japanese style in a mesmerizing form; large desk made of dark wood completed with a goldenly lustered surface, two nightstands, a tall, spacious closet with front mirrors as large as its doors. And so many other pieces of furniture that she just couldn't take her eyes off of.

She silently took a seat in one of the chairs placed near the desk, still in complete awe of the new room. And this was just one of the rooms. But even with her eyes fixated on her surroundings, the Uchiha prodigy observed how her fidgeting refused to cease, of how tightly she held the new electronic key he had placed in her hand. No doubt, she was still succumbing to doubt and uncertainty, worrying that he was forcing to endanger her place in their campus.

He remained situated in the doorway, leaning against the side frame to stare at his worrywart of a target.

"This floor belongs to your family. And by improving your grades here and there, you'll rightfully earn a room in this dorm. You staying here is not as problematic as you think."

"I-I appreciate all this," Hinata immediately supplied. "But why not wait until I get here on my own?"

Why bring her here before she rightfully earned the place? It was every student's dream to earn a spot in the elite dorm, and she was no exception. Of course, her academic progress had not been very astounding and she was aware that she needed to cut down on extra activities and commit a little more to achieve this goal. But catching up to the school's elite students was so difficult. She was thrilled to walk these corridors, yet doing so while not having earned that right? And not having earned it on her own? Just what reason would he have for making her reside here, in this particular room? Also, the fact that it was placed in convenient proximity to his own room did not go unnoticed.

"I do not appreciate being struck in public. It was, after all, just a kiss." He said, taking delight in the reddening of her pale cheeks.

Of course he would consider it so small an incident, seeing as he found no qualms in engaging in small demonstrations of affection with so many students. But she didn't see things the way he did. Make no mistake; it is not that she had this great aversion towards displaying affection or simply kissing someone. She was a loving person and liked to make her feelings known to the people she held most dear. So no, she had no aversion towards being affectionate. She just didn't understand why she should do it if the other person involved finds the experience so completely meaningless. Instead of kissing someone meaninglessly, shouldn't she kiss someone who found it meaningful? Someone who was actually happy that she did it? Some may judge her childish, but Hinata valued doing things for a reason.

"I also helped you evade those mindless teammates of yours."

She understood where he was getting at. If he chose not to bring the incident up anymore and not blow things out of proportion, they should come to an understanding. _**Do not show him uncertainty, Hinata**_-Neji had advised her. _**Sasuke is willing to call a truce if his interlocutor displays more conviction and can hold their own against him. Earn his respect**_. Hinata let out a soft sigh. These words were the reason she was making an effort to suppress her stuttering. She was trying not to let him intimidate her, but rather make him regard her as a willing participant in this exchange, someone who was in a position to even make a few demands of her own if need be.

When she gave a small nod of acknowledgement, Sasuke regarded her attentively and declared a further demand.

"Essays."

If he were anyone else, he would find her sudden bewildered expression quite amusing.

"You need to improve, Hyuuga. There is no reason to be among the masses when you can be brilliant."

"But-"

"And you will improve under my tutelage. In return, you will revise any essay I write."

"President Uchiha, you're an elite student. S-Surely your essays are already very good."

His gaze became disinterested, as if he were dismissing her small appraisal, and without another word he sat in the chair opposite of her and handed her 5 pieces of paper clipped together. Hinata briefly scanned the first few paragraphs. Impeccable writing and grammar. Very on point and meticulous, almost as if it bore a lawyer's touch. But this was supposed to be a literature essay, focused on characterizing the protagonist of a philosophy novel. If she dared say so, perhaps the essay could use a little more….refinement around the edges? A bit of rephrasing to give it more finesse? Maybe additional phrases to portray the inner longings of the character?

And he took the time to appreciate how her attentive gaze perused the words he had typed for an essay he was assigned but yesterday; how quickly it would switch from right to left in deep contemplation as she read, sometimes her expression contorting into that of a thoughtful frown, no doubt debating the particular changes that needed to be made to better his assignment. Though he had not interacted with her very much, he had taken the time to analyze her academic strengths and weaknesses. She was truly talented when it came to writing essays. He had no qualms admitting that he had been pleasantly surprised at how beautifully she worded her thoughts on paper, how well she adapted to any kind of essay, be it literature-based or scientific. She was gifted in this particular area, whereas he, it was safe to say he was a man of few words, on or off paper. His essays were always concise, less rich, less moving, less sentimental, and possibly gruff. As luck would have it, he could actually make use of the time spent tutoring his now more pliant target.

"This…needs a little refining."

Hinata actually reveled a little in correcting something of his, even if just a little. The student in front of her was such a sharp thinker and for so many years she had heard of his accomplishments. But here she was, in a position to correct something that _she_ seemed to do a little better.

But Sasuke remained silent, choosing instead to better familiarize himself with her presence. She was not loud and her company was not overbearing. He supposed he should consider himself already terribly lucky. If he thought about the loud Yamanaka, the rebellious Higurashi, and the overly demanding Haruno, the girl in front of him was anything but all that. Then again, like him, she had been raised in a prestigious clan, following strict protocols and being taught that manners can have greater impact than words.

"President, I can help revise your a-assignments. But I can do that from my old dorm room too. I don't see why it was…necessary to bring me here. I'd…like to go back."

Of course the girl he was assigned to tutor to become elite was the one least interested in him. Normally he wouldn't even have to make an effort to bring girls closer to him. But not her. Peachy.

"Because, Hyuuga," Sasuke began, bringing up his hand to rub his temple in slight annoyance, "you're not an easy person to come by." And that was saying a lot coming from _him_.

"I'm not-"

"You study independently most of the time, and you choose to do so in the private library. Convenient, since you're the librarian's assistant. But that is hardly the place to have a proper conversation, unless we resort to sign language. The rest of the school hours you spend in club activities and it is next to impossible to guess which ones you've joined since you're not registered properly. You being the mascot came as a surprise. I figured you'd join something close to the football team, but I have to commend your efforts. The mascot? The thought has never crossed my mind. Your highest grades are in anything science-related so if I had to take a guess, I'd say you're part of Nara's Science Research team. Also, seeing as you're a Hyuuga, I can safely assume you're a member of the martial arts club as well. Other than that, it will take a little more time to find out what other activities occupy your time."

How he hated long explanations. But as he observed her stunned widened eyes, her mouth opening in a small gasp and her tender hands grasping a little too tightly the sheets of paper in her hands, he knew that without proper explanations, she would be harder to coerce. She had no idea, did she? Of how diligent he could be in reconstructing a puzzle, in finding a way out of a maze, in giving answers to questions that have yet to be asked. She was a soft-spoken, small girl, standing before him with nothing but eyes that hid nothing, eyes that betrayed everything she thought and felt. And he could read her. In no time, he'd know her. All of her.

"So you see, Hyuuga, this new room ensures that the spare time you do have will be spent with me."

Her cheeks burned. This…wasn't going the way she had hoped.

"By the way," Sasuke added, the words taking on a deeper, slier tone, "You exceed the club membership rule."

Hinata froze in place. _Oh no…_ .

His thin, porcelain lips curved into an all-knowing smirk for he could so easily tell that she was cornered and not coming up with any way to evade this current predicament.

"Also, you are not properly registered."

_Oh no!_

"And I can't help but notice that every club you've joined somehow favors the other elites…Shikamaru, your cousin, Naruto…but not one favors me. Why is that, Hyuuga?"

"I…it was not- I didn't…I m-mean…"

"Surely it is not because I displease you in some way, is it?"

Sasuke knew the unspoken explanation: _I am not interested in you_. No matter, if he tried to recall the last time a girl being in love or involved with someone else deterred him from attaining what he wanted, his muscles would atrophy from sitting down too long in thought.

"As president I have to admit, overlooking all this misconduct on your part would be….unfair towards the other students."

She gave a slight nod. Of course it would.

"I suppose you…want me to take care of other school assignments aside from essays?" She supplied in a small whisper.

Ah, smart girl. Seeming ready to atone for her mistakes, yet offering a plausible solution to avoid him suggesting one harder to comply with? She was more resilient than he first believed.

Sasuke sighed. He didn't want to push her more than she could take. He could tell by her demeanor that she was having a hard time keeping herself composed and in all actuality, he was surprised she hadn't lashed out at all. But she truly was a timid, naïve creature. If he questioned her behavior before, not knowing whether it was genuine or merely an act, he now knew that no matter the nature of the situation, be it happy or unnerving, Hinata Hyuuga embodied the very concept of demure innocence, of utmost sensitivity. All in all, she seemed the kind of person who always gave a crap about what others thought and avoided hurting their feelings. Even now, he could tell, she was being considerate enough not to lash out at him. He had trouble understanding why she bothered being so nice. Not that he minded, but it was baffling.

"When I call, you answer."

That was it? No, there had to be a catch. With a light tilt of her head, Hinata stared, her pale lavender eyes not dropping their gaze from his stern visage. It was safe to say she didn't trust in his seemingly harmless demand.

"You amuse me, Hyuuga. I do not need companionship, or anything else going through your mind. I need someone prompt who will help when others can't. Something like a backup."

That sounded…harmless enough. Also, no matter how hard she tried to find another way to turn the tables on him, her mind was drawing a blank. So she did the only thing left to do.

"Alright."

That concluded their meeting as far as he was concerned. With an almost imperceptible nod, he pushed himself into a sitting position and turned to walk away. Whether he meant to or not, his lips curved into a triumphant smirk the moment he reached the doorway. In the end, he had obtained everything he had set his mind to.

"Umm, President Uchiha?"

Although he had his back turned to her, she quickly took notice of the slight turn of his head, signaling for her to continue.

"What are all these boxes?"

And she probably could see the upturn of his lips, for he let his smile widen.

"Your things."

Hinata gasped and almost lost some of her balance. She never really had a choice, did she?

* * *

That night they both lay awake, each in their respective rooms, one room above the other. And while from the outside one would say how similarly immersed in thought they were, their train of thought couldn't have been more different.

With a full moon embraced by a dark, cloudless sky, and soft light protruding through the slightly parted crimson curtains, Sasuke paid little mind to how the darkness of his room was disturbed by the small rays of light. In fact, he hadn't even bothered locking the door to his quarters, his body simply engaging in an unconscious mode of autopilot, going through his routine mechanically, not giving much thought to how rapidly his body was going through the motions. Instead, once his quick shower was done, he let himself fall on his bed, the cool feel of silky sheets soothing his bare back. Today had gone unexpectedly well. A few bumps on the road; he hadn't planned on his first meeting with the girl he was to tutor to be so publicly eventful, but then again wasn't he one who prided himself with being apt at dealing with the unforeseen? And deal he had. In the end, he was quite pleased with the outcome. Did he obtain her cooperation? Yes. Did he reap additional advantages? Yes. Was he left with a throbbing headache after speaking with her? Surprisingly, no. As for the girl herself, he was a little perplexed. There was no denying that she possessed very pleasing facial features; the light lavender hue of her large, expressive eyes; dark, thick lashes to deepen the intensity of her gaze; small, harmoniously contoured nose; rosy, heart-shaped lips; indeed, a delicate beauty. But for a Hyuuga, she definitely lacked the authoritative voice, the pride in her step, the confidence in her attitude. As for the rest of her appearance, it was hard to say. Her clothing of choice never seemed to compliment her figure in any way, so he couldn't exactly express his thoughts on anything, save for her height; distinctively smaller than his.

Sasuke closed his eyes. He would be lying if he didn't admit that he found himself at least mildly intrigued. Then Neji casually mentioned her being the school mascot. While still feeling a little shocked by the small discovery, he had implied as to why she would choose this role. The Hyuuga genius had been tactful, only hinting that she simply wanted to offer her support to someone. Sasuke had connected the rest of the dots without difficulty. After all, it did not take a genius to observe who might've captured the shy girl's attention. In all honesty, he could see the reasons she would become infatuated with his ridiculously loud and clueless best friend. Naruto's personality mirrored her own in a way, albeit him being more vivacious. Both put others' needs first, both disregarded their own self-interests, both strived for the attention of people who paid them no mind. Sweet innocence attracted to unsuspecting naiveté. That's what Hinata's attraction to Naruto was. Naruto was the safe choice. Sasuke knew there was nothing about Naruto that wouldn't put her mind at ease, whereas someone like him…the corners of his lips twitched upward; he was somewhat of a dangerous bet for someone like her.

And there it was: that need for him to prove himself better. He had no reason to, he knew. Yet he was forced to face someone who considered another above himself. It was most definitely selfish, he was aware, but the desire to prove that her fascination could change, that thoughts of another man could be replaced with him was making itself known. As he suspected it would. He could blame it on a number of things, anything from his eternal amicable yet sometimes not so amicable rivalry with his best friend, to a possibly large ego.

But the fact that she seemed so eager to reject any interaction with him, that she paid so little mind to what transpired during their encounters, that she was looking forward to them lessening, all of that only seemed to fuel Sasuke on. It was not that he was so shallow to think that any girl who laid eyes on him would irrevocably fall in love with him, but complete indifference was not something he was used to. His knowing smirk widened. He would be thrilled to test that resistance of hers.

It was with those thoughts that Sasuke finally fell asleep.

Hinata, on the other hand, continued to toss and turn. Sleep seemed impossible to attain at the moment. Her mind was racing, her heart was pounding. Her school life had taken a very abrupt turn and her new room, although presenting all of her things in neat order and good taste, simply made her feel out of place, like she did not belong. She felt frustrated.

She had no intention to remain like this. She was relieved that things had not taken a more disastrous turn, but truth was they could've taken a better one too. And who's to say she should stop trying to get back to the way things were? Perseverance was key to everything.

She failed to see why their president had taken such a sudden interest in her. It was true that after today's incident she thought he would probably seek some form of retaliation but the outcome left her…she didn't even know how it left her. And she didn't know the right way to proceed. If it were someone less unpredictable, she'd be less worried. But what was the point in worrying now? It was late, she was tired. One thing she learned from her stern father was to never make decisions when in a state of exhaustion. The more tired you are, the more mistakes you make.

One thing was certain; new competitions were approaching, some against their rival school. Her football captain was training restlessly. She too needed to focus on being of as much help as she could, and she had already figured out a proper way to make herself useful aside from quietly cheering behind a mascot costume. The president would have to wait.

It was with those thoughts that Hinata finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"_Why do you like me?"_

It was still early morning, but instead of spending it in his warm bed, Shikamaru had been dragged out of it. First it was because of that damn alarm clock. He could testify that the blasted thing was broken. He never remembered setting it to wake him up this early, but every morning the cursed object seemed to wake him up even earlier. Then he tried shutting it off. No, that's a lie. He was _considering_ shutting it off. He was also considering leaving it like that and going back to sleep. But he figured he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, and not because he couldn't take the noise but because it was nagging at him that the thing would eventually go off again. In the end, he reached out to turn it off. But the button was broken. The infernal buzzing alarm kept ringing in his ears.

Then his phone went off. Who would call him at this hour? Rubbing his eyes, he scanned the phone screen and cringed when it read _"Lover"._ Say what? He had no- what the hell, she even changed her name in his phone? Only Ino Yamanaka would have the audacity to do that. So with the hellish alarm clock buzzing in the background and with the phone ringing loudly because of a so-called lover/secret stalker/potential future obsessed murderer, Shikamaru groaned and answered his phone; a decision he thoroughly regretted.

Shikamaru did not wish people to think he despised the blonde Yamanaka. In truth, they had been neighbors for as long as he could remember. He did not despise her or hate her. He did not even dislike her. He didn't even think it had anything to do with her, really. He was just a very disinterested person. Disinterested in everyone, not just her. And she knew that, he was certain of it. They had grown up together and in all honesty, Ino had seen him mature and had noticed the changes in his temperament. He was at ease around her. The only inconvenience was that he preferred the quiet, and she was anything but. He didn't even want to address the fact that she liked her gossips. Still, despite his indifferent nature towards anything romantic, she still held such unrelenting feelings for him. He supposed there was room to appreciate her devotion. And perhaps he did, deep down. Very deep.

All that aside, he regretted answering the phone all the same. But among the usual declaration of love and adoration, he heard Ino mention that their principal had granted the elites the day off. Unusually nice of her. The safest conclusion was that she made this decision as a way of expressing her gratitude for their efforts these past few weeks. He was actually relieved, this small reprieve was most welcome. He shut the phone off. He couldn't actually remember if he said a goodbye to his 'lover' caller, but he was still half-asleep, mind you. With a diabolical alarm clock buzzing in the background. But if they had the day off, he knew exactly how it would go: on their days off, the elites met at the dojo. It was a sort of tradition, he supposed.

What happened afterwards was somewhat of a blur. He did remember somehow descending the steps of their luxurious dorm to reach the floor below his, alarm clock going off loudly in his right hand. He also vaguely recalled stopping in front of the only occupied rooms on this floor and entering without giving much thought to proper manners and the fact that he should've knocked. Naruto never locked his doors anyway. By now Shikamaru's jaw was clenched with suppressed frustration and annoyance, the sounds of his alarm and his previously ringing phone still penetrating his brain. Because everything rubbed him the wrong way this morning. And all the other ones too. And his friend here never had a care in the world. He slept like a baby. Fuck that.

He threw the buzzing clock at the pillow Naruto had conveniently brought in front of his face, his tanned arms hugging it to his chest. And the sports genius shot his torso upright, fists in front of him.

"What the hell, Nara?"

"We have the day off."

And Shikamaru left. It was still a blur, but he remembered feeling content. If his alarm clock refused to shut up, might as well use it to wake up someone else too. Besides, Naruto had it coming. This was payback for giving Ino his new number.

Now one might say he had been rude to his friend. But this was just how they got along. If Shikamaru were to be honest, the blonde athlete was the one who kept their elite group together. The rest of them were all reclusive, and talked very little, but Naruto had helped them bond and their friendship had solidified because of that. The Uzumaki had pointed out their strengths, how easy they were to tease and get on each other's nerves and he had actually made their small get-togethers _fun_. Now, even in his absence, Shikamaru knew that they kind of owed Naruto for being the way he was. They wouldn't have him any other way and he undoubtedly knew that Naruto himself wouldn't change anything about them either. This was just how they functioned.

But his mind was digressing. Here he was, only two hours after the alarm clock incident, standing at the entrance of their massive training dojo. Although he hadn't asked for it, Ino had arrived early, holding his clean training kimono in hand, offering to help him get ready. Even now, as he pliantly raised his arms to aid her in tying his black belt around his waist, she was humming happily to herself and not even acknowledging that he had asked her a question.

"Why do you like me?" Shikamaru repeated.

"What do you mean?"

She offered him a bright smile, her look clearly relaying that his question didn't quite register as a question. It was so normal for her to like him, it was so fitting for him to be the one she was doting on that she failed to comprehend why he had trouble grasping the concept. He, on the other hand, wasn't exactly sure whether she was doing this on purpose or not.

"You seem to really like me."

"Mhm, what's your question?"

"My question is _why_?"

Her smile brightening, Ino gave one last tug to the neat knot she had made to tie his belt.

"You're so silly, senpai. Now go and kick some butt!"

It was safe to say that with that, Shikamaru had given up on having a more profound conversation for the day.

The large dojo was empty. Goldenly wooden floors were covered with training matts and the heavy white walls, tall and thick, proudly covered with trophies, diplomas and certificates of achievement, allowed every small sound to resonate through the illustrious training area. This was a dojo built by the Hyuuga's in a desire to offer the school a better way to acquaint its students with traditional martial arts. After all, since ancient times, the Japanese have devoted their time to perfecting the art of combining the diverse techniques of defense and offence into one. Such traditions needed to be enforced, not lost, and the Hyuuga clan was notorious for its Aikido courses.

Nothing disturbed the dojo's silence, save for the steady footsteps of the four top students. Adorned with beautiful, hand woven kimonos, each elite secretly delighted in the rare times they were allowed to spar. While it was true that the Hyuuga successor had a clear advantage, what with him coming from a long line of well-known martial artists and being the head of the martial arts club, the others were no strangers to the art of combat. Each of them came from a respected clan, it was only to be expected that none of them would be allowed to grow up without being properly trained in each clan's specific combat style. And so, the Aikido master let his eyes roam over his other three adversaries; the Uzumaki, a Judo master; the Nara, a Shotokan Karate master; The Uchiha…he was the trickiest: a Jeet Kune Do fighter. Why was he the trickiest? Because Jeet Kune Do was an eclectic and hybrid martial art style. Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It embodies the concept of interception or attacking while one's opponent is about to attack. Jeet Kune Do practitioners believe in minimal movements with maximum effects and extreme speed.

Neji found himself groaning. And if Sasuke was the only problematic one, things would be manageable. But their spars have become even more intense because of their blue-eyed Uzumaki companion who, in light of his eternal rivalry with the Uchiha, had underwent intense training in the basics of Jeet Kune Do as well….and possibly some form of Eskrima combat. That way, he would provide a fitting challenge both for him and for Sasuke.

This was bound to be a match to remember.

* * *

Could it be possible to train the entire day? Could it be possible to work through bruises, burning muscles strained from exertion, pulled tendons, without much sustenance?

Yes. He knew this to be true better than anyone else. His father, always a monument of discipline and strength, had made sure that his training had been this effective and dynamic from the tender age of five.

But could it be possible to train for so many hours with little to no reprieve?

Apparently yes.

How else would him taking a shower at the training compound so late at night be explained? Their free day had gone by far quicker than any of them had anticipated. But one had to take into consideration that for over a month, all of them had been working overtime. National competitions were fast approaching, clan gatherings would soon be upon them, final examinations required intensive study hours and they still needed to tutor four girls to become elite. So many weeks had gone by without them taking a few hours to themselves. It was no surprise that when a free day finally made itself known, they had engaged in a most desired activity and had conveniently lost track of time. He had had every intention to train for the better part of the morning, and spend the rest of his time resuming his more tedious work, both in regards to his own studies and in regards to finally falling into a certain rhythm with his target.

However, as the hot spray of water hit his sore muscles, body relaxing under the warm temperature and rising steam, the privileged, aristocratic Uchiha closed his eyes. This was one of the feelings he enjoyed most; the feeling of his body succumbing to the feverish sensation the hot water was instilling him with, the feeling of weariness being driven away, the water both reanimating him, and lulling him into a slight trance. He had no regrets for the day. He deserved to have a day to himself. He would catch up with his work come tomorrow.

But why were his thoughts so swiftly drifting to someone else? Better yet, why hadn't he seen her today? Yes, he hadn't left the dojo, but neither had the man she was infatuated with. He judged that today would not be completely lost since the Hyuuga was bound to show up one way or another. She had two very good reasons to do so today: one, Naruto was training here as well; two, his essay. For one of these two reasons she should've made an appearance, but he had yet to spot any timid indigo-haired bookworm scurrying about the dojo. He scoffed. She expected Naruto to take notice of her with her being so absent?

But it all came down to her, didn't it? It came down to how quickly their interaction would bring about a fruitful outcome. And one might say he was possibly obsessing a little, but he was not. His increasing thoughts of her were attributed to the fact that he was behind his comrades in terms of tutoring his student. The fact that she was pleasing to the eye, that she did not evoke repulsion through her physical appearance or irritation through her personality was a bonus. A quite big one, if he were honest. He could admit to himself –and only himself- that he had never had the pleasure of pursuing someone of her stature and upbringing. Who was he trying to fool? He had hardly ever done the pursuing. And a side of him, usually dormant in its ferocity, had most delightfully awoken for the silent challenge she presented.

Sasuke heard the shower curtains being pulled to the side, and still he remained motionless. His breathing came out evenly, not even bothering to acknowledge the presence of the woman now standing behind him. His body resembled that of a marble statue, unmoving as pale arms came around to embrace his torso and nimble fingers traced soothing patterns on his glistening pectorals. He was perfectly aware of who would be this daring, and strangely enough, today he simply had no desire to turn his relaxing shower into something more heated. Or perhaps he simply had no desire for her company.

"I am not in the mood," he muttered.

That struck her as odd, but Sakura was not a woman easily intimidated. This wouldn't be the first time he tried to deny her, but a few caresses, a few more firm strokes, and he would not need more coercing. From an outsider's point of view, Sakura was certain she seemed conceited, probably a little too self-assured, and too egotistic. She hasn't always been like that. But life had not been gentle with her, her circumstances had forced her to harden her personality and at one point she had decided that she was done not obtaining what she wanted. So, adopting a more determined attitude, she made it a point to be as challenging and resourceful as possible. And her new behavior did have the desired outcome in the majority of cases. The man she was currently embracing represented one of the exceptions. But her determination was renewed with his every denial. And so, it was she who propositioned this little arrangement. She wanted him and everything he had to give, even if just a physical bond for the time being. With time, things could change.

"When I want to be left alone," he breathed in a deceitfully calm tone, "I expect to be left alone."

Tonight, it seemed, things wouldn't change. Sakura narrowed her eyes, retracting her arms with haste. She was aware she should not be feeling this way since she was the one who had initiated this…agreement between them, but she could not help the feeling of indignation from stirring behind her angered stare. However, when it came to this point she knew better than to push him. And so without another word, she left him alone, encased in the hot steam.

Sasuke opened his eyes then. He could not deny that his disinterest in Sakura was growing. He could not understand why though. She was an attractive woman who has yet to request anything more from him. He had not even heard her complain of his distant attitude whenever they met in a more cordial environment. Perhaps his renewed interest in his target was to blame for the sudden shift in his desires.

Speaking of which, where _was_ the damn Hyuuga?

He had texted her 40 minutes ago, asking her to bring him a change of clothes from his room.

Sasuke clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. He knew she was probably fussing over what to bring, over entering rooms that did not belong to her, over being seen by someone else doing something so inappropriate and out of character.

But he was left with no choice. Sparring with his friends had dragged on, and his more fanatic admirers have decided to profit from it. They even had the nerve to steal his clothes and probably keep them as their personal trophies. This was beyond ridiculous. So, of course, he was left with one course of action. Wear his dirty kimono until he reached his dorm and properly changed clothes. That, however, proved impossible to do as well since during his shower his kimono had disappeared too. And his friends had already left. He could've called them, yes. But why not make use of the little deal he made with the Hyuuga girl? _"When I call, you answer."_

But 40 minutes have passed, and she was still absent. Was she doing this on purpose?

"P-President Uchiha."

Her hesitant voice sounded muffled, he had barely heard her. He turned around and slightly pulled the shower curtains aside to see that the door to the shower room was only slightly ajar. Of course she didn't dare approach him. He took quick notice of the neatly folded stack of clean clothes placed on the small bench next to the door.

"Finally," he groaned.

* * *

"Why the delay, Hyuuga?"

But Hinata didn't reply. She quietly sat in a cream colored armchair placed beside a small tea table. The waiting corridor outside the shower room and locker room was designed to look very homely. It was here the families would come to encourage their athletes to do their best before a game, so it was a comfy and welcoming space despite how now, so late at night, it was covered in shadows. Her snowy orbs watched how the door that led to their spacious shower stalls opened soundlessly, and their president stepped outside, dressed in a simple dark shirt that bore the proud Uchiha crest on its back, and a pair of black pants. Even clad in the simplest clothing articles, he managed to appear so striking. She found herself looking away the moment he made a move to gaze in her direction, wanting to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Why did you make my dorm key work for both our rooms?"

Her whisper was unsure, but did he detect an underlying accusation in her question?

"It's convenient."

That's it? Convenient for whom, exactly? Him, no doubt, if the current situation was any indication. But she did not feel at ease with this. If anybody found out that she could do this…she'd rather not think of the consequences. If someone actually found out and got a hold of her key, then-

"Your worries are misplaced. If getting inside the elite dorm were that easy, we'd be missing more than just clothes, wouldn't you agree?"

The demure Hyuuga heiress stared at him. She could not deny his words but his statement had made her raise her head, leaving her eyes to do exactly what she had been meaning to avoid. It unnerved her how against her wishes, she took notice of the soft glow of his fair skin in the highlights cast by the small light coming from a light bulb further down the corridor; his damp hair, it's heavy strands moving to frame the elegant contour of his face; his eyes, his lips, his body, all basking in a dark allure, only heightened by the night. He was captivating her and she was allowing it to happen against her better judgment. But not for long. She lightly shook her head, more to rid herself of the unwanted thoughts of appreciation than to deny what he had said.

And just like that, another sound came from the other end of the corridor.

No, no, this was not happening. Not again. Why did every time she was left alone with the president she ended up being in the wrong place, at the wrong time? They shouldn't be here. They weren't allowed, it was too late and the campus guards were doing their nightly rounds. Hinata felt like pinching herself. She should've urged him to leave faster and leave any unasked questions for a more convenient time.

And just like the last time they were in an unwanted situation, the perceptive president moved with feline-like skill, efficiently reaching her before she could even alert him of her disquiet. Perhaps because of their dark surroundings and her attention being on the guard on the far end of the hall, she didn't quite register how he had managed to raise her so quickly from her armchair and proficiently press her against the wall, right behind an ornamental Ficus tree.

They both listened, intent on keeping track of the guard's advancement but to her great relief, he did not seem in the mood to inspect the entire corridor. One look with the flashlight pointed here and there was enough for the tired guard and he left immediately afterwards, far too happy to go grab a cup of coffee instead of lingering around the training compound.

Hinata let out a small sigh of relief, gently prying away the large hand her "protector" had placed on her mouth to keep her from giving away their position.

"I think he-"

But she didn't get to finish. His lips crashed against hers, moving feverishly against her plump lips, and giving her no time to react, his arms effectively holding her wrists pinned to the wall behind them. He relished in the way she trembled, she was so petite and honest in her response, and it encouraged him to reap more. His body pressed tighter against her, lifting her slightly, the thin layer of her white shirt permitting him to feel for the first time the true size of her breasts. He could feel a groan vibrating through him. The more he prolonged the contact, the more pliant she became. He could almost smirk against the silky softness of her coral lips.

For a brief moment he parted but a few millimeters, judging her at the end of breath. She could no longer take it. Aware as he was that the moment her gasp of breath ended she'd try to renew her struggle, he refused to stop. His hand released her wrist and quickly grabbed her chin and pressed against it with his thumb to keep her mouth open while he delved in again, letting his tongue taste her for the first time. She tried to move, probably in an attempt to speak, but in doing so she only succeeded in rubbing her lips against his even more. He didn't care what she was trying to do. The friction was delicious. In a deceivingly gentle manner, his other hand moved to caress her neck as he bit her lip. He wanted to take the resistance away from her. His movements were hypnotic, lulling her into timid desire.

Hinata could swear she had never felt her heart pound so hard and she was positive he was aware of the loud beating noise as well, lushly pressed against her as he was. How could he garner such reactions from her with just his lips? He made it impossible for her to think. A full make-out session was hardly something she could've predicted. And it was beyond her expectations. Was it supposed to make you feel this heated? Was it supposed to make your skin burn? Or was it he, the prodigious Uchiha, the one desired by so many, who expertly manipulated her body to respond to his forceful advances?

She had no idea that his train of thought took a similar path against his better judgment. It had not been his intention for things to escalate at such a quick rate either. And yet, as it became his habit, the moment he had hid her behind the Ficus tree, he surveyed her quickly, everything from the white shirt she wore –notably not as loose as the rest of the clothes he had seen her wear- to the shorts that revealed a pair of toned legs of a milky white. Neither could he predict how soft she would feel against him, her small body pressing so delectably against his larger, harder one. Such a perfect fit she was.

"You know," he whispered against her reddened lips, still only a breath away from her tender, gasping mouth. "I am the one who seems to end up doing _you_ favors."

Her wide eyes pinned his half-lidded onyx ones, understanding dawning upon her. Her breath coming out in harsh pants, she supposed one could see it that way: the evasion of her teammates, overlooking her breaking the rules, hiding her from a security guard.

"So," his deep voice vibrated, "l have a different proposition."

She could feel his lips leaning in, brushing their smooth surface against her glistening one and for a moment she believed he would try to kiss her again. But he merely lingered there, tempting her. He wanted his next words to sink into her and remain an implacable memento of what tonight had brought.

"Whenever I do something for you, _you_ will reward _me_."

* * *

**…:::About this chapter:::…**

My sweet and darling readers! How I've missed you! Like last time, I am so terribly sorry for making you wait this long. It's not my intention to update so slowly, but life has taken so many turns and university has finally come to an end; I graduated last month. Thank you for your encouragement, it has helped so much. For the most part, this chapter had been written for a long time, but it needed several fragments added and my muse refused to help. I'm sorry if the story seems a little rushed in a few places, but I was so anxious to finally post it that I thought I should just give it a go.

I truly hope I have not disappointed you.

**!IMPORTANT!**

I have edited the first chapter and have made a few changes to the story. I hope they will be to your liking, that chapter had been written long ago and it needed a bit of revising.

I want to apologize, I know there is a great deal of narration in this chapter, but it was needed so the rest of the story can unfold the way I have planned it to.

Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial art form created by Bruce Lee. I encourage whoever is interested to google it. It's fascinating.

I am not a native English speaker so if there are any mistakes, please feel free to point them out. I do my best to spell-check every chapter, but seeing as I do not have a beta, the chapters are posted after my brief and lacking evaluation.

Thank you very very much for each review, I smiled the entire time I read them. Your reviews fuel my inspiration, I sincerely hope to hear more from you.

I also hope that your interest in this story has been renewed by this chapter.

Thank you again! Take care.


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